2007 August | haRdLy NOrMal

Archive for August, 2007

Lean in effect

Published by August 11th, 2007 in Just Me, Marketing, Media, Television

Last night was a test of my loyalty. I was blessed with Cardinals tickets and they were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. What started out to be a slow game ended up having everyone sitting on the edge of their seat in the last inning. If you can capture that feeling on tv, the “lean in effect”, you have found the secret.

Lets be honest. Television is not about the show although that is what gets the hype. Television is about the commercial content so the “lean in effect” is very important to keep you out of the kitchen and on the couch.

Live police chases in Los Angeles (and I am sure other cities) get crazy ratings because people sit and watch to see what happens at the end. It could be hours of chasing a car on the 405 yet you don’t want to leave the living room and miss one single moment.

I am a 24 fan. This past week I watched season one for the first time. Ya I know but I didn’t “get it” when it was originally aired so I only caught on during season two. 24 does an amazing job with the “lean in effect”. Almost every night I stayed up late to watch one more episode because I had to see what happened next. Then that episode would leave me wanting more.

As Christian marketers, how can we use this technique to really capture people’s attention?

Google is taking over the world

Published by August 10th, 2007 in Internet, Just Me, Marketing, My Big Mouth

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I gave a good fight and held out for as long as I could. Some time ago I read a post on Tony Morgan’s blog that interested me but I still held out UNTIL Yahoo made a change!

Yes a change. I like change. Sometimes I struggle with change but why fight the inevitable. I have been loyal to a Yahoo start page for over 10 years. I had everything I needed in one place. Then, and this is huge, My Yahoo changed! Not just any change. They placed a big fat square ad right in the center. The banner ad at the top was gone and this insane ad was right in your face. It was ugly!

I understand the need to create revenue from a free service but this was really obtrusive. I then, as any loyal user would do, went to the message boards to see if I was alone. Nope, this ad in the center was a hot topic so I figured Yahoo would listen and correct. Heck, I was loyal for 10 years I can wait a month.

Of course you guessed it. I tried their new beta page, again, and the ad was still there.

By now you can suspect what happened. Google got me!

There really is much we can learn from this in both business and marketing. Too me, Google is trying to build relationships where as Yahoo is scrambling to grab revenue from a dying system. Google is very patient. Yahoo also clearly does not listen to its users, or, the thought of selling ad space in the middle of someone’s start page was too irresistible.

How does your marketing feel?

Published by August 8th, 2007 in Just Me, Marketing

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Today I was talking to a coworker that I highly respect and I noticed he was shopping on a certain vendor’s webpage. I told him what online vendor I use and he responded in defense of his choice “but their website feels better”.

Years ago when I lived in Los Angeles there was a little computer store tucked out of the way from anything. I only noticed it because I had a need for computer repair and I observed a hanging banner advertising a special.

Inside was a little old Asian gentlemen and the place was literally a mess. Boxes everywhere! No other employees, just him!

A week later I needed to call and see if my computer was ready yet I lost his business card. I then looked up his website on the net because being honest, who uses the phone book anymore? The store had a very impressive website with photos of a group of happy white people assembling a computer in a factory setting. There were also pictures of attractive customer service reps. I can almost guarantee that all those boxes I saw in this man’s store were for internet orders and I also bet the public rarely met the real owner.

This was one of my first lessons in marketing and probably the most important.

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING!

All people make decisions based on emotion then rationalize their decision with reason. You buy a car because you like the bright red color and the smell of the tan leather however, you tell yourself that you bought it because of the good gas mileage Tide may not actually get your clothes the whitest but someone made you feel it does so you are loyal to that brand. Gourmet cat food is a great example. The elaborate flavors are made to market to people. Cats eat mice not white meat chicken and whipped egg souffle’ with mixed garden greens!

When producing anything that especially may be the first contact with a customer, client and/or first time visitor always remember that you only get one chance at a first impression.

How does your website feel? How does your brochure feel? What does a person feel when they first look at your church?

Can volunteers protect brand integrity and design excellence?

Published by August 7th, 2007 in Just Me

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I happened to notice some great posts on LifeChurch.tv swerve blog

take a look and join in

For such a time as this

Published by August 5th, 2007 in Community, Homeless, Just Me, Life's Lessons, Outreach

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Group prayer at Hobo Park Outreach

Today was a great day. A really great day! Daniel Blunt started a new outreach last week and today a bunch of us joined to help the homeless in “Hobo Park”. I am uniquely qualified for this type of outreach and my heart will always be to help people on the streets.

The homeless experience different types of challenges depending on their geographical location. This is common sense yet I really didn’t completely understand until I went with the Vineyard to downtown Columbus ministering to homeless during an Ohio winter. Thank God I was blessed by living on Hollywood Blvd in sunny Southern California. Of course, there are other challenges besides weather in LA. Homeless populations in large urban cities experience more severe mental illness and there is far more crime and disease! The homeless people I met in Cbus could not imagine living on the streets in Los Angeles and I sure would have not survived in the cold and snow!

Today we were experiencing a heat wave in St Louis. Fortunately I visited Southern Sudan, twice, 127 degrees and no ice, refrigerators, air conditioners, fans and worse yet, bathrooms so I have some experience with surviving in extreme heat.

Pastor Blunt handing out socks I say all that only to point out days like today, and there are tears in my eyes as I type, bring Romans 8:28 to life for me! Days like today make all the bad things in my life worth something! God is real and He is good all the time. I could have never ever dreamed that all the horrible experiences, and some good ones, would come together for such a time as this.

Everybody feeds. I have been on outreaches where the homeless were so full they turned food down. We wanted to do something different and that would be of real use. Remember, when buying for the homeless population PLEASE keep in mind they have to carry everything. That said, small and lightweight is important. Target has a great supply of travel sized items. Today was also kind of a scouting mission and it is important to ask questions to find out the specific needs for your outreach area. Items like socks and underwear work everywhere.

Here is a list of what we handed out:

• Bottled water – bring far more then you think you need
• First aid kits – found at Target for $1 each
• Socks – it rained last night so this was a hot item
• Spray bottles filled with cold water – found also at Target for $1
• Wet Ones Travel Pack – again Target for $1
• Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes, Unscented (in the very small almost flat container) – don’t laugh – these are great to cool down and clean with.
• Toiletries – tooth brush, tooth paste, small towels, small soap, you get the idea. Don’t think what you would use. People living on the streets are not really health or hygiene conscious. Buy only what will actually be used and truly needed.

We didn’t bring any this trip but underwear is HUGE. Boxers mostly in medium and large size yet have a few extra large just in case.

Sometime in the near future I will post on how to effectively minister to a homeless person. I will bring up one point now and this is kind of universal for any application, BE NICE AND SAY HELLO TO EVERYONE

Pastor Blunt and Daniel with Shawn I got chills today. I do so every time something happens that is so cool it cannot be coincidence; it has to be God! A man was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk toward us. Usually in these urban areas you have a white upper middleclass population mixed in with the extreme poor. When I was growing up they were called yuppies. I thought this man was just a loft owner riding his bike around the park. Because we engaged him in conversation, with a cheerful hello and a big smile, he stopped to talk. Turns out he works for the Mayor of St Louis (he had proof) and is the Director of Human Services. There is a fully equipped kitchen right around the corner and he was looking for “someone” to come down and supply a meal once a month! This had to be God! Of course Daniel and I grabbed his business card and we will be calling this week, guaranteed!

There is a really cool thing that happens when you help those less fortunate then you. Your problems seem to disappear. There are all kind of ways to get involved and if you already are – thank you! If you are just thinking about it listen to the words of the great philosopher Michael Jordan – just do it! There is not a better feeling then knowing God is using you to help change lives!

Fooled again

Published by August 4th, 2007 in Life's Lessons, Marketing, Media

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There is one lesson in life I keep learning over and over and that is “you get what you pay for”! Most every time I try to save a few pennies, both professionally and personally, I get fooled!

Every time I fall for the words “compared to” written on the box I regret it. I was in the store and needed some nasal spray. The price was so good on the CHEAPER brand that I even bought two. Funny because I actually had the brand I normally use in my hand yet put it back thinking I would try this AGAIN. Of course you know what happened. The product did not even compare at all and the end result is I lost money.

I hate spending money on shoes so I would always buy the lowest price I could find. In two or three month’s time I was, without exception, buying a replacement pair! My first pair of Doc Martens I think I paid $100 around 10 years ago yet I still wear them today! I learned that by paying a little more upfront I actually saved money.

Professionally I usually can spot a lowball vendor yet they still serve a purpose. When I speck out a project I always try and bid the lower priority items to these vendors because saving money is very important. If the item is high-end and critical I seek out vendors, who might not be the cheapest, but, they have amazing support if something goes wrong.

Marketing and fundraising is a different story. There is a huge jungle of agencies and it can be a little scary trying to figure out which one will be cost-effective yet produce results. In a way it is almost like gambling. You have to pay upfront and you pray and hope and hope and pray that they know what they are doing. That this time it will work! I have worked with some major agencies that were being paid a huge retainer and did not have a clue, yet, the client kept using them.

By the way, I am pro agency. If you find a good agency like BMC, Cooke Pictures and Aspire! One they will not only make you money but they will save you money.

If you end up having to look for an agency this is what I have learned:

1) Relationships – they have to fit. They must like you and you must like them. If the agency puts money before relationships move on
2) Cost – Unfortunately the small to medium churches do not have the resources to hire a more expensive higher-end agency. Price of services is an important factor. Just remember it takes money to make money and you get what you pay for. Sometimes you just have to take the risk that the upfront costs will turn into additional and larger donations. Also keep in mind the cost of time and money lost if you do not find a good agency.
3) Timing – it has to be the right time. You may not be ready to take this next step.
4) Will they customize – you may be able to save money by doing some of the work in-house. In addition, there are several processes that can be done by your volunteer army and whenever possible they need to be utilized.
5) Know their vendors – lots of agencies subcontract work to companies they own. This can be good or bad. Of course, they make more money by sending it to their own companies but they also have more control. A one stop shop is not a bad thing
6) Have a plan B – things go wrong, people change and stuff happens. If one day you wake up and your agency has left you, or you feel it is time for the agency to leave, have a plan.

I know some of you that read this blog have much more experience with agencies then I do. What are your views on using or not using agencies?

Effective Response Television

Published by August 3rd, 2007 in Just Me, Marketing, Media, Television

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I saw a commercial last night that would be a good model for effective response television or any kind of marketing.

The commercial was for the security company ADT. It started with a father in a hotel room looking into camera talking about how he is on a business trip and just received a call that their home was broken into. He went on to say that the thief only stole their stuff and it could have been worse if his family walked into the house while the robber was still there. Of course there were several cutaways of the wife and kids walking into a trashed house while the man was talking about how he called ADT the next day. The spot closed with the male actor saying how powerless he felt.

Honestly, I have no reason to purchase a security system but because I flashed back to times in my life where I felt powerless I thought about calling ADT.

There are several reasons why this was an effective commercial. Most important it played on an emotion! Not any emotion but the powerful emotion a father feels when his family is threatened. They also targeted their demographic very well.

Interruption marketing really only works when the consumer has a need for the product or service being advertised! Spam is a good example of this. Most of us just delete junk emails however, if people were not responding Spam would stop.

Effective interruption marketing reaches out to those who may not actually need the product or service but are “convinced” to take action and respond.

Most of us make educated guesses in marketing decisions although it is rare for a marketer to honestly this truth. We gather as much data as possible then try and guess what will be successful. We must never forget that all the data in the world may not provide the desired result. A gut instinct or intuition is very important.

In my own work I believe not having an education in formal marketing has helped. I don’t go by the book because I never opened Marketing 101. I try my very best to empathize with the demographic we are trying to reach which has proven to be a very successful method.

Thoughts?

Blogaholics Anonymous

Published by August 2nd, 2007 in Blogs, Change, Community, Just Me, Leadership, Marketing, Media, Vision

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Ok I will admit that when I first heard the word “blog” I thought it was stupid. In fact, for a long time my only rationalization for that belief was that a blog is nothing more then a new word for an online message board.

I now have to give credit where credit is due. I have known this for awhile but today I was in a meeting and out came an idea from Seth’s blog. Of course it will need to be modified, but it was my new habit of daily blog reading that provided a solution to our marketing problem.

This maybe how it started. When I first came to Church on the Rock I read about one book a month and maybe two if I was flying. Pastor Blunt has taught me so much yet one of the most beneficial is a love for reading. No, he taught me a love for learning and to grow you have to read. I am a squirrel chaser so it was only inevitable that I would migrate over to the blogs shorter and to the point format.

Most of the blogs I read I found on the blogroll’s of other blogs. If I see a name or subject that interests me I will click on it and read. If I go there more then a few times I will bookmark it. I have in my browser a group of blog links that I read daily. I know most people today use RSS readers however, look a squirrel! Point is I don’t like to get all my daily blog reading at the same time. Too me, if I have time, I click on a link and read! No order and sometimes I’ll miss a blog or two but that is what works for me.

I often get calls from small churches that do not have the resources to hire a consultant. I want to help so I simply compose an email with all the blogs I visit and hit send. I would bet most don’t take me seriously and delete the email because they do not see the worth in blogs, like I myself once did! That’s fine. I have learned (again) recently that just because some precious pearl of wisdom has changed my life, other people may just not “get it”! So when I comprised my blogroll I did so with you in mind. All the blogs I visit are listed in my blogroll. Now I just inform people to visit hardlynormal.com. Please note that a few are secular blogs and there may be an occasional “surprise”. In case you are wondering why I read a FEW secular blogs I will be completely honest with you. Christian marketers need to stop creating religious looking junk that alienates the unsaved and start learning from Apple, Starbucks, Google, VH1 and companies like Nike. They have spent millions on learning how to attract people so we should be paying attention!

I do hope you visit a few of the blogs listed here! Maybe you’ll learn something and maybe you’ll become a blogaholic like me.

What blogs do you find interesting and why?